Curried Crab with Coconut and Chili

So good that Emeli wore it!

The boys digging in like savages!

 Greg and I were watching the "Food Network" and Chef Curtis Stone came on to discuss the best dish he has ever made.  It looked so yummy and easy that we decided to give it a go!  We even went so far as to cover our table with a big sheet of plywood and put kraft paper on top of that for the shells!  Then we invited our friends Mike and Emeli over and feasted!!!!  It is delicious and I think this sauce would be excellent with fish, shellfish, chicken, veggies or even beef!!!!  DO NOT skimp on toasting and grinding the whole spices ~ the flavour that is produced is what makes this dish!!!!

CURRIED CRAB WITH COCONUT & CHILI

Ingredients:

2 1/4 lbs live crab (we used blue crab)

1/4 cup whole coriander seeds

1 1/2 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp whole black peppercorns

Sea salt, to taste

2/3 cup white wine vinegar

1/4 cup desiccated unsweetened coconut flakes

1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger

5 garlic cloves

1 white onion, chopped

1 large green chile, chopped roughly

1 tbsp coconut oil (or olive)

1 medium ripe tomato, diced

10 fresh curry leaves (didn't have this so I used 2 tbsp hot curry powder)

2 tsp turmeric

1 tbsp chili powder

1 can of unsweetened coconut milk

• Place the crab in the freezer for 2 hours, or until it stops moving (this is really a humane way of killing them because they just go to sleep ~ especially if you are squeamish about killing them!  Otherwise buy frozen!!)  Remove the legs and crack them with a rolling pin.  Remove the top fo the shell and clean out the insides with your fingers.  Chop the crab and top shells in half.
• Heat a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and peppercorns.  Stir constantly until they become fragrant and toasted, approx 3 to 4 minutes.  Cool completely.
• To make the paste, grind the toasted seeds with a pinch of salt using a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder.  Transfer this dry mixture to a food processor and add the vinegar, coconut flakes, ginger, garlic, chile and onions.  Blend to form a paste.  
• Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over low heat.  Add the paste and saute until fragrant and some of the juices evaporate, approx. 5 to 10 minutes.  Add the tomato, curry leaves, turmeric, chili powder, and a pinch of salt and cook until the tomato are tender and melting into the sauce, approx 5 mins.  Add the crab and 1/2 cup water, increase the heat to medium and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the crab pieces are cooked through, approx 10 mins.  Mix in the coconut milk and simmer for 2 to 3 mins to allow flavours to blend.  DO NOT boil the coconut milk as it will split.
• Place the crab either directly on your kraft paper or on a big platter and dig in!!!

      

    

Fresh Cucumber and Toasted Almond Salad with Dill

Yesterday was perfect barbecuing weather, so we decided burgers and a salad were in order!  As I was busy and ran short of time, I grabbed my quinoa cookbook to find a fast and easy side salad ~ and boy did I find  a winner!

FRESH CUCUMBER & TOASTED ALMOND SALAD WITH DILL

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sliced raw almonds

1 cup quinoa

2 cups vegetable or chicken stock

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 tbsp white wine or white rice vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups chopped English cucumber

1/2 cup sliced green onions

1/4 cup chopped fresh dillweed

• Preheat the oven to 350F.  Spread the almonds evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and bake on the centre oven rack for 5 to 7 minutes, until the almonds are fragrant and slightly toasted.  Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
• Place the quinoa in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Toast the quinoa for 3 to 5 minutes, until it is fragrant but not browned, shaking the saucepan from side to side occasionally to turn the quinoa and toast it evenly.  
• Add the stock to the saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low and cover.  Simmer for 10 minutes, then turn the heat off and leave the covered saucepan on the burner for an additional 4 minutes.  Remove the lid, fluff the quinoa with a fork and transfer to your large serving bowl to cool completely.
• Whisk together the oil, vinegar, and salt in a small bowl.  Add to the cooled quinoa and mix thoroughly.  Add the cucumber, green onions, and dill, tossing well.  Just before serving, sprinkle with the toasted almonds.
• ENJOY!

Honey Garlic Sauce

Greg had smoked a brisket and wanted a sweeter sauce for it since he rubbed it in peppercorns prior to smoking. I found this recipe on food.com and it is a definite keeper!! No more commercially purchased sauces for us - this was easy and uses ingredients that you generally have on hand.

HONEY GARLIC SAUCE

(makes 2 cups)

Ingredients

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 pinch red pepper flakes (I ended up adding more)

2 tbsp oil

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup honey

3 tbsp tamari or soy sauce

2 tbsp white wine or white balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp cornstarch

• Whisk together broth and cornstarch until smooth. Add honey, soy sauce, vinegar and brown sugar. Whisk vigorously until combined.


• Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add garlic and chili flakes and saute until the garlic is golden brown (approx. 2 mins). Whisk in cornstarch mixture and simmer until thickened (approx. 3 to 4 minutes).


• ENJOY!

Braised Red Cabbage

Admittedly I didn't grow up eating cabbage and have only started enjoying it for about the past 5 years ~ and I've discovered that I LOVE it! Savoy is my favourite and I use it in a pasta dish quite frequently, and I love green cabbage for salad etc., but when I received a red cabbage in my CSA box I was a little flummoxed! I hadn't really used one outside of grating it into a coleslaw. So I turned to my trusty reference site http://www.recipezaar.com/ and found this simple and easy recipe that requires 5 ingredients (6 if you decide to top it with crumbled goat's cheese like I did!) and tastes fantastic! It's sweet and tart while the goat's cheese juxtaposes the slight crunch of the cabbage, perfectly!

BRAISED RED CABBAGE

Ingredients:

1 head chopped red cabbage

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

1/4 cup water

2 1/2 tbsp butter

2 1/2 tbsp sugar

• Heat the white wine vinegar, water, butter and the sugar together in an ovenproof casserole dish (I used my enamelled cast iron baking dish whose lid can handle the high heat in an oven), until the sugar dissolves.
• Add the cabbage and stir till it's coated with the vinegar mixture.
• Cover and braise in an oven at 325F for 2 hours, stirring every half an hour or so to ensure even cooking.
• Remove from oven, transfer to a serving and dish and crumble creamy goat's cheese over top (optional).
• ENJOY!

PLANTAIN GRATIN

I was watching "Everyday Exotic" hosted by Roger Mooking on the Food Network the other night and he created this dish which is so colourful and SO different from anything that I have cooked in the past, that I just had to try it! I have never eaten, nor cooked with plantains so unfortunately my first attempt was disasterous as the plantains were too unripe. However I persevered, bought more and let them blacken on my countertop...the results were miles better!!

PLANTAIN GRATIN

Ingredients:

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

1/4 cup water

1/2 stick of cinnamon

1 shallot, sliced into 1/4" pieces

2 jalapenos, seeded and sliced into 1/4" pieces

1 tbsp sugar

salt

4 ripe plantain, peeled, and sliced in half lengthwise

1 tsp vegetable oil

1 cup aged white cheddar, grated

3 green onions, chopped

1/4 cup cilantro leaves (optional garnish)

salt

• In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, water and cinnamon. Bring to a boil and boil for approximately 1 minute. Add the shallot, jalapenos, sugar and salt to taste. Take off the heat and let sit for 15 minutes before removing the cinnamon and draining. Set aside the pickled topping.
• Preheat oven to broil
• Place the halved plantain in a baking dish, drizzle with the vegetable oil and season with salt. Broil for 5 to 7 minutes until slightly caramelized.
• Place the cheese and green onions over the plantains, broil in the oven for an additional 3 to 4 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
• Garnish with pickled topping and cilantro.
• ENJOY!

**This is a really unique side dish that held up fabulously against the meatloaf leftover from dinner a few nights ago!